How to spot fake coronavirus news on social media

How to spot fake coronavirus news on social media

Bad information about the novel coronavirus appears to be contagious. But there are some steps you can take to verify information on social media before you share it. The temptation to share unverified but alarming information is understandable. Many of the people who share hoaxes don’t do it to mislead; they think they’re sharing valuable information with their friends and family. But it’s easy to hit “retweet” on something that’s just not true. And false information isn’t helpful to anyone. So take a beat before you retweet. Here are some ways to verify what you’re reading before you share.

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Verify the account that’s posting the information

Check the account. Are they verified on Twitter or Facebook? That lends more credibility to what they say. If they aren’t verified, do more checking.

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Verify the account that’s posting the information

Check the age of the account and how many followers it has. A brand-new account with a dozen followers is unlikely to be one that’s breaking major national news. And Scroll back through some older posts — has the account always shared news, or was it a meme account a month ago?

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Verify the account that’s posting the information

Take note of how the news is being presented to you — just in the tweet? Is there a link to a longer story somewhere? Again: A screenshot of an email, text message, Google Doc or Notes app is unlikely to be good information. Check the source. Is the account attributing the information to an organization, a politician, a news outlet, or “a friend of a friend”? Good information will have a reputable name to back it up.

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Verify the site the information is coming from

If there’s a link, click it. Does it go where you expected it to go? Check the URL — are you really on the site you think you’re on, or does something seem off? Look for strange spelling and anything weird in the web address.